Beginning Clojure Reading List

People have inquired what I recommend reading-wise for getting started with Clojure.

As of today, assuming a standard, imperative/object-oriented backdrop, I recommend the following sequence:

Functional Programming for the Object-Oriented Programmer -
FP-OO is an excellent introduction to the Functional Programming paradigm with sympathy/empathy for people reared on OOP rarely found elsewhere. While the examples given throughout the book are in Clojure, you’ll only be using a subset of the language so it’s pretty approachable.

Clojure Programming -
Clojure Programming is quite simply the perfect first Clojure book (if you already grok FP you can probably start here). It covers the depth and breadth of Clojure’s APIs as well as the spirit of Clojure. This will fill in the gaps that FP-OO (wisely) left out. Somehow this text manages to be a useful reference as well as a joy to read.

The Joy of Clojure -
Okay, by this point I’ll assume you’re drinking the kool-aid, because you’re going to need it. TJoC is an evangelical tome for the true believers. The information presented is dense and fast-paced, while the writing style is friendly and digestable. Although it doesn’t cover much new ground from Clojure Programming, it’s certainly a deeper dive into the applications of techniques presented there. I made the mistake of reading this before any other Clojure book, and while I certainly enjoyed it and learned some things, only upon re-reading it have I been able to grok most of what it covers.